Fox News host Tucker Carlson reported on Thursday evening that the stepmother of Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, the officer who allegedly shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, has been fired from her job at a mortgage company in the area.
&#8220;Until today, his stepmother, her name is Melissa Rolfe, was the HR director at a place called Equity Prime Mortgage in Atlanta, Georgia,&#8221; Carlson said. &#8220;But today, she was let go. She&#8217;s no longer in that role, apparently she was fired and her only crime was being officer Rolfe&#8217;s stepmother.&#8221;
&#8220;According to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to this program, Rolfe was promised that her job was safe, but today she was told, &#8216;We have to terminate our relationship with you,'&#8221; Carlson continued. &#8220;No other explanation was offered and honestly no other explanation was needed. It was obvious what happened.&#8221;
&#8220;Rolfe has already been scrubbed from the company&#8217;s website, wiped away as the Bolshevik&#8217;s did with those who lost favor with Joseph Stalin,&#8221; Carlson added. &#8220;That will keep happening until lawmakers decided to resist the mob and protect ordinary people from its predations. This is where the country is going, it&#8217;s becoming a place where you can be punished for the supposed misdeeds of your relatives. You don&#8217;t want to be that country. All of us should put on the brakes immediately.&#8221;
Later in the program, Carlson said that the company reached out and claimed that Rolfe was fired for social media posts, but did not elaborate on what the posts were or what they said.
Carlson concluded, &#8220;The bottom line is, it seems pretty clear they fired this woman because of who her step son was, and just to restate the obvious, that shouldn&#8217;t happen in this country because it&#8217;s wrong and people should say it&#8217;s wrong, or it will continue to keep happening.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tucker Carlson reports that <a href="https://twitter.com/Equity_Prime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Equity_Prime</a> Mortgage in Atlanta has fired the step mother of police officer Garrett Rolfe, who was charged in the shooting of Rayshard Brooks. <a href="https://t.co/RtJhNyyd2F">pic.twitter.com/RtJhNyyd2F</a>
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1273808006614970368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The company released a statement on their Twitter account that did not mention Rolfe&#8217;s stepmother&#8217;s name but appeared to allude to her termination and stressed that the company was committed to diversity. The statement said:
<blockquote>Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion are deeply entrenched in the principles that help guide the actions of our organization. Our 23 fundamental principles comprise The EPM Way and the first one is, &#8220;Do the right thing, always.&#8221;
Our unwavering commitment to always doing the right thing has led us to sever ties with an employee who has expressed views that do not align with our culture. We do not tolerate racism, discrimination or injustices of any kind. EPM was co-founded by people of color intent on building a better future the best way they knew how, by bringing diverse cultures into the conversation. We view business through an empathetic lens. We care about the communities we serve and the people we employ.
We have intentionally built a team that is reflective of the U.S. population. Not only do we make a concerted effort to ensure Black people are in positions of authority, but we have recently increased overall diversity within our management from 68% to 80%, and we are nowhere near finished.
We are dedicated to building wealth in communities of color that have historically suffered from systemic racism. We recognize the roadblocks these communities face and have and will continue to honor our commitment to removing them. Our efforts have significantly increased loans to Hispanics, Asians, Blacks, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Veterans to enrich their communities.
We owe our successes to our employees who listen generously, speak courageously, and choose positivity. Representation matters, and so do Black Lives. Known to many as Equity Prime Mortgage externally, we thrive by the principle of Empowering People More. We will continue to be a resource and voice to financially empower those we serve and strive to guarantee diversity every step of the way.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
EPM is dedicated to being an organization that strives for diversity and equality. We are guided by the 23 fundamentals of the EPM Way to be an advocate for financial empowerment in the communities we serve. <a href="https://t.co/ag7wkZLl13">pic.twitter.com/ag7wkZLl13</a>
&mdash; Equity Prime Mortgage LLC (@Equity_Prime) <a href="https://twitter.com/Equity_Prime/status/1273742049615818752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
UPDATE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/company-that-terminated-stepmother-of-atlanta-police-officer-releases-new-statement-on-her-termination">Company That Terminated Stepmother Of Atlanta Police Officer Releases New Statement On Her Termination</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Garrett Rolfe

Tucker Carlson: Stepmother Of Police Officer Charged In Rayshard Brooks Shooting Fired From Her Job. Company Releases Statement.

Georgia

Police

Rayshard Brooks

During a sit-down conversation with Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, Christian rapper Lecrae, and Pastor Louie Giglio posted on Monday, Cathy urged white people to repent of their racism and justified rioters looting and burning down a Wendy&#8217;s restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, following the death of Rayshard Brooks on Friday.
&#8220;We as caucasians, until we’re willing to just pick up the baton and fight for our black, African-American brothers and sisters, which they are as one human race, we’re shameful,&#8221; Cathy said, according to <a href="https://www.bucksexton.com/content/2020-06-18-chick-fil-a-ceo-white-christians-should-repent-of-racism/">BuckSexton.com</a>. &#8220;We’re just adding to it.&#8221;
&#8220;Our silence is so huge at this time,&#8221; he said, channeling the far-left refrain that &#8220;silence is violence.&#8221; &#8220;We cannot be silent. Somebody has to fight and God has so blessed our city, but it’s shameful how we let things get so out of whack.&#8221;
Then, before literally polishing the shoes of Lecrae, who is black, Cathy added that white Christians should have a &#8220;sense of shame&#8221; and an &#8220;apologetic heart.&#8221;
&#8220;Any expressions of a contrite heart, of a sense of humility, a sense of shame, a sense of embarrassment &#8230; an apologetic heart,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I think that&#8217;s what our world needs to hear today.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Chick-Fil-A CEO: 
White People Should Shine Blacks’ Shoes to Show ‘Sense of Shame,’ ‘Embarrassment’ for Racism <a href="https://t.co/A2Utbc0a2t">pic.twitter.com/A2Utbc0a2t</a>
&mdash; Gabe Hoffman (@GabeHoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/GabeHoff/status/1273713403274702855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
During the same sit-down, the chicken chain CEO seemed to justify the burning down of a Wendy&#8217;s restaurant in Atlanta on Friday, citing black people&#8217;s &#8220;incredible amounts of frustration and pain&#8221; that &#8220;white people&#8221; are &#8220;simply just out-of-sight, out-of-mind oblivious to.&#8221;
&#8220;I think, before we try to jump into action, I would say that we need a period of contrition and a broken heart in the city of Atlanta,&#8221; said Cathy. &#8220;And a sense of real identity, not just criticizing people that are burning down that restaurant last night. We&#8217;ve got a heart for the Rayshard Brooks and others that you&#8217;ve (Lecrae) mentioned, we&#8217;ve gotta have a sense of empathy of what led to this. This is a tip of the iceberg of incredible amounts of frustration and pain that the whole spectrum of the African American community [is feeling] &#8230; that most of us white people are simply just out-of-sight, out-of-mind oblivious to. We cannot let this moment pass.&#8221;
Later in the sit-down, the CEO said that &#8220;a dozen Chick-fil-A restaurants have been vandalized in the last week,&#8221; while urging &#8220;white people&#8221; to feel the &#8220;pain&#8221; of the rioters.
In 2019, Chick-fil-A announced a stop to their donations to Christian-based charities deemed “anti-LGBT” by the Left, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-chick-fil-a-to-stop-donating-to-christian-charities-branded-anti-lgbt">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>In an interview with <a href="https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/retail/exclusive-amid-global-expansion-and-lgbt-pushback-chick-fil-a-changes-charitable-giving-structure-101818">Bisnow</a>, Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos announced that the famous fried chicken chain plans to make significant changes in which charities it donates to, in part because “as we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are.” Amid continued boycotts of the highly popular and successful chain over its donations to supposed “anti-LGBT” groups and causes, Tassopoulos revealed that the company’s foundation will no longer donate to some high-profile Christian organizations.</blockquote>
In the aftermath of the announcement, LGBT group GLAAD <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/glaads-response-to-chick-fil-a-cave-is-exactly-what-youd-expect">ripped</a> the company for allegedly still being anti-LGBT.
WATCH:
<iframe title="The Beloved Community - Dan Cathy, Lecrae, Louie Giglio" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xEuI-03Jcc4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
H/t <a href="https://www.bucksexton.com/content/2020-06-18-chick-fil-a-ceo-white-christians-should-repent-of-racism/">BuckSexton.com</a> 
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Dan Cathy

WATCH: Chick-Fil-A CEO Appears To Justify Rioters Burning Down Wendy’s, Urges White People To Repent Of Racism

Chick-fil-A

On Tuesday, a black Georgia sheriff told CNN anchor Brianna Keilar that Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe was &#8220;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/sheriff-alfonzo-williams-rayshard-brooks-shooting-justified">completely justified</a>&#8221; to use lethal force against Rayshard Brooks, who was shot and killed after resisting arrest and grabbing a taser from an officer at the scene.
Keilar started, “The family attorney in this case says that police should have tried to catch Brooks instead of shooting at him. What is your reaction to that?”
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams responded, “Having 30 years in the business, police and law enforcement, and 27 of those years having taught use of force and taught hundreds and hundreds of law enforcement officers across the state of Georgia and other states, I just think that he&#8217;s a lawyer, he&#8217;s not a law enforcement officer. I think that is — it&#8217;s just a ridiculous statement.”
He continued, &#8220;Obviously, we saw in the video that the — Brooks was engaged in a fight with the officers. They were on the ground. We know that when we&#8217;re on the ground, we have a very high likelihood of being hurt or killed. It&#8217;s not the place we want to be. This is not a wrestling match. Brooks is able to take a nonlethal weapon, a taser, away from one of the officers, and he flees, they give chase. He&#8217;s committed two felony obstruction of an officer counts, and he needs to be held accountable. So they were perfectly justified in running behind Brooks to capture him.”
Williams noted, “Brooks turned back to the officers, and fired the taser. And we all know — this is the third law enforcement agency I&#8217;ve been head of, and every agency I&#8217;ve gone to, I&#8217;ve required every officer who carries a taser, to be tased with it so that you understand the incapacitation.”
He explained, “Five seconds: one thousand-one, one thousand-two, one thousand-three, one thousand-four, one thousand-five. That&#8217;s five whole seconds that, if an officer is hit with that taser, that he — all of his muscles will be locked up and he&#8217;ll have the inability to move and to respond. And yet he is still responsible for every weapon on his belt. So if that officer had been hit, he still has a firearm on his side. And the likelihood of him being stomped in the head or having his firearm taken and used against him was a probability. And so he did what he needed to do, and this was a completely justified shooting.”
Keilar asked, “So you think lethal force here was necessary?”
&#8220;It&#8217;s very necessary,&#8221; Williams said. &#8220;The Fourth Amendment allows it. This is the objective reasonableness standard, and there&#8217;s nothing malicious or sadistic in the way these officers behaved.&#8221;
Then he took a shot at law enforcement leaders in Georgia: “And it&#8217;s very unfortunate that the law enforcement leaders in the state of Georgia have not come out and stood together on this case. I think it&#8217;s political and it&#8217;s senseless. We&#8217;re sending the wrong message to our black youth, we&#8217;re telling them that it&#8217;s OK, that they can run from the police, they can take a weapon from the police, they can fight with the police. And point a weapon at the police, and expect nothing to happen. That is the wrong message to send to black youth.”
Keilar then tried to turn the death of Brooks into a racial issue: “Can I ask — I want to ask you a question about the Rayshard Brooks case, early on, once he was on the ground. One of the things that struck me, observing — and you know, you&#8217;re in law enforcement, I&#8217;m not, but — was how quickly at close range one of the officers pulled a taser out. And it seemed like his arm was flailing, and then he sort of got tangled and grabbed the taser.  And I — one of the questions I had was, do you think that that officer would have pulled a taser so quickly on a suspect if they were white?”
Williams answered, “I think we have a serious issue in this country with officers, law enforcement officers using force against black persons or persons of color versus other persons. I&#8217;m not sure exactly why that exists. I think it&#8217;s based on your experiences, based on your ignorance, based on your — whether or not you&#8217;re learned, based on movies, television, media.  You know, there&#8217;s a little bit of blame to go around with all of us. That&#8217;s why I have proposed setting standards —”
Keilar interjected, “Sheriff. You&#8217;re — it sounds like you don&#8217;t know, like — it sounds like you are saying perhaps, there could be a possibility that maybe — that escalation to the use of the taser might not have happened then, if it were a white man?”
Williams immediately shut that down, saying, “I&#8217;m not saying that at all. I&#8217;m saying what happened in the Brooks case is completely justified, 100 percent. And an officer generally goes to work every day, he&#8217;s not concerned about whether a perpetrator is black or white. He&#8217;s there to do a job. He was called there by the employees of Wendy&#8217;s because the guy is passed out at the wheel. And he&#8217;s investigated for being under the influence of something, but he is less safe to drive. And they conduct field sobriety. And all officers know this, Brianna, that when one cuff goes on, a person is going to do one of three things. He&#8217;s going to fight, take flight, or he&#8217;s going to comply. In this case, he did fight and flight. And we — they&#8217;re taught in the academy that you arrest or you handcuff quickly, one to two seconds. If not, your life is in jeopardy. And that played out in this scenario.”
He concluded, “We don&#8217;t want to fight with anybody; we don&#8217;t want to be on the ground. The suspect had the ability to hurt the officer, he had the opportunity to hurt the officer because he took his taser. The officer&#8217;s life was certainly in jeopardy, and the suspect could have complied and none of this would have happened.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Burke County, Georgia, Sheriff Alfonzo Williams says the shooting of Rayshard Brooks was “completely justified.” “There&#39;s nothing malicious or sadistic in the way these officers behaved,” he says, adding that this case can&#39;t be compared to those of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. <a href="https://t.co/Px6hwdffZN">pic.twitter.com/Px6hwdffZN</a>
&mdash; CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNnewsroom/status/1272958183540219905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Close of gavel in courtroom

WATCH: Black Georgia Sheriff Tells CNN: Shooting Of Rayshard Brooks Was ‘Completely Justified’

Law Enforcement

Race

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced on Wednesday that the police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks last week was being charged with felony murder and that Brooks did not pose a threat to the officer even though Brooks fired a taser at the officer.
The remarks from Howard come after he charged a police officer earlier this month &#8220;for pointing a taser&#8221; at someone because a taser is considered to be a &#8220;deadly weapon&#8221; under Georgia law.
In explaining the charges against former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe, Howard said, “We’ve concluded at the time Mr. Brooks was shot that he did not pose an immediate threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or officers.”
Howard continued by noting that Brooks fired a taser, which he took from the officer on scene, at Rolfe and that Rolfe opened fire on Brooks after that.
&#8220;But I don’t know if you can see it clearly,&#8221; Howard told the media in announcing the charges on Wednesday while showing a blown-up photograph of the incident. &#8220;The prongs from the taser were actually fired above Officer Rolfe here.&#8221;
Howard went on to say that after Brooks fired the taser at Rolfe, the distance between the two increased, leading Howard to say, &#8220;So based upon that information, we have concluded that Mr. Brooks was running away at the time that the shot was fired. Mr. Brooks was shot twice in the back.&#8221;
Earlier this month, however, Howard <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/06/02/868126089/6-atlanta-officers-charged-after-release-of-disturbing-arrest-video">announced</a> charges against several police officers in a case about alleged excessive use of force against two college students during the protests that took place after the death of George Floyd.
In announcing charges against one of the officers, Howard said that the officer was charged with &#8220;aggravated assault&#8221; for &#8220;pointing a taser&#8221; at one of the students because &#8220;under Georgia law a taser is considered a deadly weapon.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
DA Paul Howard: “We’ve concluded at the time Brooks was shot that he did not pose an immediate threat of death or serious physical to the officer… Brooks [fired] a taser [at the cop]”
He charged a cop on 06/02 “for pointing a taser” since “a taser is considered a deadly weapon” <a href="https://t.co/mGMXh7RGtX">pic.twitter.com/mGMXh7RGtX</a>
&mdash; Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1273440402243125248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Wednesday evening, the Atlanta Police Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-atlanta-police-seeing-higher-than-usual-number-of-call-outs-comes-after-d-a-charged-police-officer-with-murder-of-rayshard-brooks">announced</a> that they were receiving a &#8220;higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift.&#8221;
APD tweeted: “Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate. The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift. We have enough resources to maintain operations &amp; remain able to respond to incidents.”
Atlanta Democrat Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-atlanta-police-seeing-higher-than-usual-number-of-call-outs-comes-after-d-a-charged-police-officer-with-murder-of-rayshard-brooks">told</a> CNN during an interview that the situation in the city has been &#8220;very tough&#8221; over the past few weeks over the two incidents with law enforcement.
“Across the country, morale is down with police departments, and I think ours is down ten-fold,&#8221; Bottoms said.
When <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-atlanta-police-seeing-higher-than-usual-number-of-call-outs-comes-after-d-a-charged-police-officer-with-murder-of-rayshard-brooks">asked</a> by Cuomo how many officers were calling out in this “apparent revolt,” Bottoms responded: “Well, we don’t have a count yet because we were in the midst of a shift change, but what I do know is that we do have enough officers to cover us through the night.”
“Our streets won’t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out,” she added. “But it’s just my hope again that our officers will remember the commitment that they made when they held up their hand and they were sworn in as police officers.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

US-RACISM-POLICE-MINORITIES-POLICITS

DA Says Brooks Wasn’t ‘Threat’ Toward Cop He Shot Taser At, Said Two Weeks Ago Taser Is ‘Considered’ A ‘Deadly Weapon’

The Atlanta Police Department (APD) said on Wednesday evening that they are seeing a &#8220;higher than usual&#8221; number of police officers not coming in for their shifts. This comes just hours after Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced that the police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks last week was charged with felony murder.
The statement from APD came after numerous reports began to swirl online suggesting that police officers were walking off the job in response to Howard&#8217;s announcement.
APD tweeted: &#8220;Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate. The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift. We have enough resources to maintain operations &amp; remain able to respond to incidents.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate. The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift. We have enough resources to maintain operations &amp; remain able to respond to incidents.
&mdash; Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) <a href="https://twitter.com/Atlanta_Police/status/1273415926872969216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Atlanta Democrat Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms responded to the situation on CNN during an interview with Chris Cuomo.
&#8220;Across the country, morale is down with police departments, and I think ours is down ten-fold. This has been a very tough few weeks in Atlanta, with the tragedy of Mr. Brooks and then on top of that, the excessive force charges that were brought against the officers involved with the college students, there&#8217;s a lot happening in our city and our police officers are receiving the brunt of it quite frankly,&#8221; Bottoms said. &#8220;What I will say is this, my administration&#8217;s had a great working relationship with our officers. In fact, our officers were given a historic pay raise by our administration, and it was so our officers wouldn&#8217;t have to work three jobs and be fatigued, so they could afford to live in the city of Atlanta, so that they would not be resentful about policing our streets, so that we could have the best to choose from on our force.&#8221;
Bottoms continued, &#8220;And so what I would say is, in the same way our administration&#8217;s made that commitment to our officers, we expect our officers will keep their commitment to our communities.&#8221;
Cuomo followed Bottoms&#8217; statement by asking: &#8220;Do you think that the charges that came down today against Officer Rolfe warrant this kind of potential revolt by police officers?&#8221;
&#8220;No, I don&#8217;t. I don&#8217;t,&#8221; Bottoms snapped back. &#8220;Everything in this country has changed. I think what is surprising to many is the swiftness of the charges in the same way it was surprising with the college students two weeks ago, simply because we don&#8217;t normally get charges this quickly.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms:
“Across the country, morale is down with police departments, and I think ours is down tenfold.” <a href="https://t.co/rwVaCqwsux">pic.twitter.com/rwVaCqwsux</a>
&mdash; Benny (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1273427449360068611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When asked by Cuomo how many officers were calling out in this &#8220;apparent revolt,&#8221; Bottoms responded: &#8220;Well, we don&#8217;t have a count yet because we were in the midst of a shift change, but what I do know is that we do have enough officers to cover us through the night.&#8221;
&#8220;Our streets won&#8217;t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out,&#8221; she added. &#8220;But it&#8217;s just my hope again that our officers will remember the commitment that they made when they held up their hand and they were sworn in as police officers.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;We do have enough officers to cover us through the night,&quot; says Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms amid reports officers are calling in sick.
&quot;Our streets won&#39;t be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out,&quot; she adds. &quot;…We will be fine.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/3X8Q4tglPb">pic.twitter.com/3X8Q4tglPb</a>
&mdash; Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) <a href="https://twitter.com/CuomoPrimeTime/status/1273425456675590144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Protests continue over the death of George Floyd in Atlanta

Atlanta Police Seeing ‘Higher Than Usual Number Of Call Outs,’ Comes After D.A. Charged Police Officer With Murder Of Rayshard Brooks

A former Atlanta police officer is facing felony charges after fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot last week.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced the charges against Garrett Rolfe, who was fired over the weekend, on Wednesday. Rolfe is facing 11 counts, including felony murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Rolfe’s partner who was present during Brooks’ shooting, Devin Brosnan, is facing three charges and has been placed on administrative leave, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Rolfe <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-atlanta-man-fatally-shot-by-police-after-struggle-outside-drive-thru">killed</a> Brooks late on Friday night after responding to a call from a Wendy&#8217;s employee that a man had fallen asleep behind the wheel in his car in the drive-through and was obstructing traffic. The officers ran Brooks through a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer that pegged Brooks’ blood alcohol concentration at .108%, according to body cam footage released by the Atlanta police department. The legal limit to drive is .08%.
After cooperating for nearly half an hour, Brooks <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-police-body-cam-footage-challenges-narrative-on-death-of-rayshard-brooks">fought</a> with the officers as they tried to place him in handcuffs. All three struggled and fell to the ground where Brooks managed to take Brosnan’s taser and escape the officers. Rolfe shot after Brooks fired the stolen taser at him.
<iframe title="Body cam footage of Rayshard Brooks’ death shows calm, then chaos" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hnRuWcgflaE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Rolfe and Brosnan responded to the charges in statements given by their respective attorneys, according to <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/rayshard-brooks-death-da-to-announce-charging-decision-for-cops/85-72dd891d-e5d1-43e7-931d-f6e159501b77">WXIA</a>.
“The decision to initiate charges by the Fulton County DA’s office is irrational and obviously based on factors which should have nothing to do with the proper administration of justice,” Brosnan&#8217;s attorney said. “This was not a rush to judgment. This was a rush to misjudgment.”
“Officer Rolfe is well known to the courts and there is no compelling reason to bring any charges against them before the GBI has completed its investigation and published its findings,” Rolfe’s attorney said.
Brooks’ shooting sparked protests in the city of Atlanta and local officials criticized and cracked down on the officers involved. Atlanta police chief Erika Shields resigned on Saturday over the incident.
“For more than two decades, I have served alongside some of the finest men and women in the Atlanta Police Department. Out of a deep and abiding love for this City and this department, I offered to step aside as police chief. APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department,” Shields said, according to <a href="https://www.cbs46.com/news/8-atlanta-officers-resign-as-morale-plummets/article_d7c10d36-af4b-11ea-9aed-db1ef14247a6.html">CBS 46</a>. “I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
A day later, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said that Brooks’ killing was “murder.” Bottoms sharp criticism of police officers’ conduct comes amid nationwide protests and riots over police brutality and alleged systemic police racism after the death of George Floyd. Morale among Atlanta police has plummeted in recent weeks and eight city police officers have resigned since June 1. Two to six resign in a typical month.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Wendy&#8217;s

Former Atlanta Officer Charged With Felony Murder In Shooting Of Rayshard Brooks

The Atlanta Police Department released video footage from the body cameras that two police officers were wearing when they interacted with Rayshard Brooks on Friday night, and the footage appears to contradict many of the claims that are being made by Democrat politicians and the media about what transpired.
Police were called to a Wendy&#8217;s restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, because Brooks, 27, had fallen asleep behind the wheel of a car while in the drive-through, which was disrupting the movement of vehicles that were in line. The interaction between the police and Brooks was mostly calm until the attempted arrest following his breathalyzer, which showed that he was driving while drunk.
&#8220;These new videos indicate that during a physical struggle with officers, Brooks obtained one of the officer&#8217;s Tasers and began to flee from the scene,&#8221; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation <a href="https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2020-06-13/gbi-investigates-officer-involved-shooting-atlanta">said</a>. &#8220;Officers pursued Brooks on foot and during the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the Taser at the officer. The officer fired his weapon, striking Brooks.&#8221;
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/us/videos-rayshard-brooks-shooting-atlanta-police.html">reported</a> that Brooks was shot by the police officer who was chasing him after Brooks &#8220;looks behind him, points the Taser he is holding in Officer Rolfe’s direction, and fires it.&#8221;
Despite this information, many in the media and <a href="http://archive.is/eRHkv">Democrat Party</a> have claimed that Brooks was &#8220;<a href="http://archive.is/qvdIR">murdered</a>&#8221; while he was &#8220;<a href="http://archive.is/LXT5r">complying</a>&#8221; with the police officers and was being &#8220;<a href="http://archive.is/MHP1M">cooperative</a>.” They have also claimed that Brooks had just fallen &#8220;<a href="http://archive.is/9dbo3">asleep in</a>&#8221; the car and was &#8220;<a href="http://archive.is/o9PDO">not drivin[g]</a>&#8221; and that he was &#8220;<a href="http://archive.is/1BPfQ">running for his life</a>&#8221; because the police were the ones who &#8220;<a href="http://archive.is/IxbY0">had to escalate it</a>.&#8221;
Such claims are disputed by the body camera footage that was released by the Atlanta Police Department, which shows that the interaction that the officers and Brooks had was mostly respectful up until the moment the officers tried to place him under arrest for drunk driving, at which time Brooks tried to run, got into a psychical altercation with the officers, took one of their tasers, began running, and then fired the taser at one of the officers who was in pursuit.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Watch the footage yourself&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/1H6fsnLjpL">https://t.co/1H6fsnLjpL</a>
&mdash; Lisa Boothe (@LisaMarieBoothe) <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaMarieBoothe/status/1272154663312338945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Former Georgia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams told ABC News on Sunday: &#8220;There’s a legitimacy to this anger, there’s a legitimacy to this outrage. A man was murdered because he was asleep in a drive-through and we know that this is not an isolated occurrence.&#8221;
CNN Law Enforcement Analyst James Gagliano, who has worked for the FBI for 25 years and is an adjunct assistant professor in homeland security and criminal justice at St. John&#8217;s University, strongly pushed back on Abrams&#8217; claim, writing on Twitter: &#8220;That’s NOT why Rayshard Brooks was shot, killed by APD, [Stacey Abrams]. We’re fellow Georgians — and I was actually raised in Atlanta. But distorting what occurred for political expediency is shameful. Brooks NOT &#8216;murdered because he was asleep in a drive-through.&#8217; Stop pandering.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
That’s NOT why Rayshard Brooks was shot, killed by APD, <a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@staceyabrams</a>. We’re fellow Georgians — and I was actually raised in Atlanta. But distorting what occurred for political expediency is shameful. Brooks NOT “murdered because he was asleep in a drive-through.” Stop pandering. <a href="https://t.co/yWYbRsJgth">https://t.co/yWYbRsJgth</a>
&mdash; James A. Gagliano (@JamesAGagliano) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesAGagliano/status/1272281772731125765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Gagliano later <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-police-shooting-of-rayshard-brooks-in-atlanta-was-tragic-but-justifiable">wrote an in-depth</a> piece picking apart many of the arguments that Democrats and members of the media were making about the incident.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

WATCH: Police Body Cam Footage Challenges Narrative On Death Of Rayshard Brooks

Violent rioters burned down a Wendy&#8217;s restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday night and temporarily shut down an interstate after an officer involved shooting led to the death of Rayshard Brooks.
&#8220;Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 10:33 pm, [the Atlanta Police Department] APD was dispatched to the Wendy’s located at 125 University Ave, Atlanta, GA,&#8221; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) <a href="https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2020">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;Officers were responding to a complaint of a male in a vehicle parked in the drive thru asleep, causing other customers to drive around the vehicle.&#8221;
The GBI continued by noting that they had obtained additional footage of the incident and reviewed footage that was posted to social media, saying, &#8220;These new videos indicate that during a physical struggle with officers, Brooks obtained one of the officer&#8217;s Tasers and began to flee from the scene. Officers pursued Brooks on foot and during the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the Taser at the officer. The officer fired his weapon, striking Brooks.&#8221;
Violent rioters took to the streets late on Saturday, blocking traffic on an interstate, burning down the Wendy&#8217;s restaurant where the incident happened, and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/us/atlanta-police-shooting-wendys/index.html">set fire</a> to cars in the area.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Fire at Wendy&#39;s on University Ave in southwest Atlanta raging. A night to remember in Atlanta: Rayshard Brooks shot by an officer, the chief of Atlanta police resigned, and protesters stormed the interstate. Now, fire. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlantaShooting?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtlantaShooting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlantaProtest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtlantaProtest</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fgjq7jhDiZ">pic.twitter.com/Fgjq7jhDiZ</a>
&mdash; Ric Garni (@RICGARNI) <a href="https://twitter.com/RICGARNI/status/1272005902133006336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Social media posts by local reporters showed an interstate that was shutdown by the rioters but was later reopened after it was reportedly cleared by law enforcement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨RED ALERT 9:35p Atlanta: It’s the moment protesters entered the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) at University Ave (Exit 244). It’s shut down in both directions. Use I-285 as an alternate. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/atltraffic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#atltraffic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/wsbradio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wsbradio</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/wsbtv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wsbtv</a> <a href="https://t.co/c0p7ico5q9">pic.twitter.com/c0p7ico5q9</a>
&mdash; Mark McKay (@mckayWSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/mckayWSB/status/1271980677379039233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The scene on I-75/I-85 Southbond right now. <a href="https://twitter.com/ajc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ajc</a> <a href="https://t.co/ycR7hiH3YL">pic.twitter.com/ycR7hiH3YL</a>
&mdash; Sarah Kallis (@SarahKallis) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahKallis/status/1271971844279672832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Atlanta-based meteorologist Ryan Maue highlighted on Twitter the developments as they unfolded in real time.
&#8220;Atlanta SWAT has showed up with their gear,&#8221; Maue tweeted along with a photo of the scene. &#8220;Helmets and shields. Police continue to arrest the remaining protesters. Looks like Interstate could be reopened shortly safely.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Atlanta SWAT has showed up with their gear. Helmets and shields. Police continue to arrest the remaining protesters. Looks like Interstate could be reopened shortly safely. <a href="https://t.co/rSLVoMDfHp">pic.twitter.com/rSLVoMDfHp</a>
&mdash; Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/status/1271987922582069248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In another couple of tweets, Maue wrote: &#8220;The luxury coach has arrived to pick up the detained protesters for their trip downtown. Police are entirely focused on reopening the Interstate. The area around Wendy&#8217;s has been left alone.&#8221;
&#8220;And 4 left lanes have been reopened I-75/85 heading Southbound,&#8221; Maue continued. &#8220;Police just dropped the checkered flag. Another luxury bus has arrived to collect arrested protesters chilling on the guardrail.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
And 4 left lanes have been reopened I-75/85 heading Southbound. Police just dropped the checkered flag. 🏁
Another luxury bus has arrived to collect arrested protesters chilling on the guardrail. <a href="https://t.co/xgrWVzqZYI">pic.twitter.com/xgrWVzqZYI</a>
&mdash; Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/status/1271990499562356737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
About 90 minutes later, Maue added, &#8220;The fire is out at Wendy&#8217;s but the focus has shifted back to the Interstate as police and public are facing off at the on ramp.&#8221;
&#8220;For those wondering, this is not a busy area of Atlanta or near any tourist traps,&#8221; Maue said in a subsequent tweet. &#8220;It&#8217;s a few clicks south of Downtown. Gas stations and previously a Wendy&#8217;s, warehouses and some industrial. Sparse residential about a mile away.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The fire is out at Wendy&#39;s but the focus has shifted back to the Interstate as police and public are facing off at the on ramp. <a href="https://t.co/Kqg4MiSEiM">pic.twitter.com/Kqg4MiSEiM</a>
&mdash; Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/status/1272016037077286914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
CNN Law Enforcement Analyst James Gagliano called out some of the media&#8217;s coverage on the incident.
&#8220;Hopefully, @nypost — and other outlets — will correct this inaccurate headline and story,&#8221; Gagliano wrote on Twitter. &#8220;GBI video shows man in violent struggle w/officers, then wrests away cop’s Taser, flees on foot w/cops in hot pursuit, and then turns and appears to FIRE Taser at cop, who then shoots him.&#8221;
In a subsequent tweet, Gagliano also called out the Daily Mirror, writing: &#8220;Yet another deceptive headline that leaves out key component in the fatal police shooting in Atlanta.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Yet another deceptive headline that leaves out key component in the fatal police shooting in Atlanta. <a href="https://t.co/w31wXXPqe8">pic.twitter.com/w31wXXPqe8</a>
&mdash; James A. Gagliano (@JamesAGagliano) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesAGagliano/status/1271952738633633792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Wendy&#8217;s Atlanta

Rioters Burn Down Wendy’s In Atlanta Where Rayshard Brooks Was Killed

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms revealed Saturday that Atlanta Police Chief Ericka Shields was resigning from her position, a move that comes less than 24 hours after Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, was fatally shot by police outside a Wendy’s drive-thru.
&#8220;For more than two decades, I have served alongside some of the finest men and women in the Atlanta Police Department. Out of a deep and abiding love for this City and this department, I offered to step aside as police chief,&#8221; said Shields in a statement.
“APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department. I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” she said.
Police officers were responding to reports of a man asleep inside of his car at a drive-thru when the confrontation began. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Brooks failed a sobriety test and a struggle broke out when the officers tried to arrest him. He then grabbed an officer’s taser and tried to flee, said the department. 
Brooks was shot during the chase after he pointed a taser at an officer while running and died at the hospital, said the bureau. One of the two officers was also injured but later released from the hospital.
“While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do,” said Mayor Bottoms <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/13/us/black-lives-matter-george-floyd-protests.html">during a press</a> conference on Saturday, reports The New York Times. “I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force.”
&#8220;What has become abundantly clear over the couple of weeks in Atlanta is that while we have a police force full of men and women who work alongside our communities with honor, respect, and dignity, there has been a disconnect with what our expectations are and should be as it relates to interactions with our officers and the communities they are entrusted to protect,” said Bottoms, according to <a href="https://patch.com/georgia/atlanta/atlanta-police-shooting-georgia-naacp-calls-chief-resign">Patch</a>.
Bottoms clarified during the press conference that the resignation was Shields’ decision, and that she will remain at the police department in another role, reports the <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/breaking-apd-veteran-shields-steps-aside-after-years-chief/Vb91xCgs3tNj6IJiW38SSN/">Atlanta Journal Constitution</a>.
<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/atlanta-police-chief-erika-shields-resigns-wake-fatal/story?id=71239552">ABC News</a> reports that Bottoms also expressed condolences to Brooks’ family, saying “there are no words strong enough to express how sincerely sorry I am for your loss.”
&#8220;I do hope that you will find some comfort in the swift actions that have been taken today and the meaningful reforms that our city will implement on behalf of the countless men and women who have lost their lives across this country,” said the mayor.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields

Atlanta Police Chief Resigns After Police Fatally Shoot Man Outside Drive-Thru

Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, was fatally shot by Atlanta police Friday evening after officers were called on-scene due to reports that a man had fallen asleep while parked in the Wendy’s drive-thru, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
Prior to the shooting, the officers conducted a sobriety test on Brooks, which the bureau says he failed. When the officers tried to arrest him, said the bureau, Brooks resisted, and after a struggle, he grabbed an officer’s taser and tried to flee.
“Officers pursued Brooks on foot and during the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the Taser at the officer. The officer fired his weapon, striking Brooks,” said the bureau.
Brooks was transported to the hospital and died after surgery, said the GBI. One of the two officers experienced an injury of unknown severity during the altercation, but was subsequently released from the hospital.
While the GBI says the officer&#8217;s body camera was knocked off during the struggle, at least two videos of the altercation have been circulating online. The first one, filmed by a bystander, shows officers struggling on the floor with a suspect shortly before he flees. The second video, the one from the Wendy&#8217;s surveillance camera, shows an officer pursuing a fleeing suspect, who at one point appears to point an illuminated object toward the pursuing officer. 
Both videos, shown below, are graphic:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RayshardBrooks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RayshardBrooks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATL</a> Last Night @ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wendys?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wendys</a> <a href="https://t.co/35cYBYY10z">pic.twitter.com/35cYBYY10z</a>
— piccolo (@pr322y) <a href="https://twitter.com/pr322y/status/1271830733087289345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
GBI released video that shows the moment Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta Police officer at a Wendys on University Ave last night. Police say Brooks had taken an officer&#8217;s taser and pointed it at the officer as he ran. <a href="https://t.co/1G8fn03gFV">pic.twitter.com/1G8fn03gFV</a>
— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWSB/status/1271909804848623617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
According to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-13/atlanta-police-shoot-kill-man-at-restaurant-drive-through">the Los Angeles Times</a>, Atlanta City Council Member Antonio Brown joined a group of several dozen protesters outside of the Wendy’s later Saturday evening, after the shooting but before the GBI publicly released the footage from the fast-food restaurant’s security camera.
“This is why people are outraged in this city,” said Brown. “It’s incredibly important that our police, especially now, don’t resort to firing a gun – not unless someone is firing a gun right at you.”
Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia minority Speaker of the House, has shared multiple statements on the altercation, saying in one that &#8220;sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A taser is not a deadly weapon. A gun is.
Adrenaline and irritation are not the same as mortal fear.
Running away should not be punishable by death.
Public safety must mean the public is safe. All of us.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a>  <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlantaShooting?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtlantaShooting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RayshardBrooks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RayshardBrooks</a>
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) <a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams/status/1271920190880649216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The killing of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RayshardBrooks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RayshardBrooks</a> in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force. Yes, investigations must be called for &#8211; but so too should accountability.
Sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death. <a href="https://t.co/LKsiwA48Ll">https://t.co/LKsiwA48Ll</a>
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) <a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams/status/1271846655705395200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, scenics

Report: Atlanta Man Fatally Shot By Police After Struggle Outside Drive-Thru

Georgia’s rollout of new voting machines went poorly in several counties Tuesday as poll workers struggled to use the new equipment.
Polling sites in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties experienced severe delays and long lines for residents attempting to vote in primary elections, the first state-wide contests using the new system. Many voters gave up early and went home without casting a ballot, according to <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/new-voting-machines-cause-lines-and-problems-georgia-election-day/j8UMCg2RisHAyXSJltZ9hO/">The Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a>.
Georgia spent over $100 million transitioning to a new voting company, Dominion Voting Systems, late last year. The new system marked a return to paper ballots in the state for the first time in 18 years.
Statewide Voting Implementation Manager Gabriel Sterling said the delays were caused by poll workers being unfamiliar with the system and blamed leadership for not training workers adequately.
“So far we have no reports of any actual equipment issues,” Sterling said. “We have reports of poll workers not understanding setup or how to operate voting equipment. While these are unfortunate, they are not issues of the equipment but a function of counties engaging in poor planning, limited training and failures of leadership.”
Still, Georgia election officials appeared to dodge a mess like what happened in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/update-the-final-official-iowa-democrat-delegate-count-and-what-it-means">Iowa Democratic primary</a> in February where a series of mistakes and mishaps led to a nearly week-long delay in final results. Most in-person ballots in Georgia were counted by late Tuesday night.
Election results may take days to finalize, however, as Georgia election officials continue to count a record number of mail-in ballots. Over 1.1 million Georgians <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/vote-counting-continues-after-problems-georgia-primary/fKGdKvpG5Y93iKCwguzamJ/">chose</a> to vote by mail, an indication that many are still wary of the coronavirus that scientists have yet to find an effective treatment or vaccine for.
Iowa’s primary took place before state governors declared states of emergency over the outbreak of Covid-19 and instituted widespread shutdowns. The fiasco in Iowa began after Democratic election officials could not validate the results of county reports of votes. Multiple Democratic candidates and the Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez publicly rebuked the Iowa Democratic Party and called for a recanvassing of precincts.
Wisconsin also had trouble with its primary in early April after election officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chaos-in-wisconsin-as-thousands-of-absentee-ballots-never-reached-voters">failed</a> to send out roughly 9,000 mail-in ballots to voters who requested them. The contest was an early test of state voting systems after the coronavirus outbreak began, and a record number of Wisconsin voters cast their ballots from home in response.
Wisconsin election officials missed sending thousands of ballots while others sent through a congested mail system never arrived at election headquarters to be counted. Many other ballots arrived at headquarters postmarked too late to be counted.
Wisconsin’s difficulties were a warning to other states holding primaries amid a pandemic to beef up their mail-in voting operations and systems in order to handle a record-breaking surge in absentee voting.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Georgia Primary Election

Georgia’s New Voting System Struggles With Bumpy Rollout

2020 Election

State Representative Vernon Jones (D-GA), who made a cross-party endorsement of President Donald Trump earlier this year, wants the Georgia legislature to consider political affiliation, real or perceived, as a protected class for a hate-crime bill under consideration by the state senate. 
“Political affiliation should be a protected class, right alongside race, gender, and religion, and my legislation will do just that,” said Jones. “Making any politically motivated attack a hate crime. Wearing a MAGA hat should never endanger your life.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Political affiliation should be a protected class, right alongside race, gender, and religion, and my legislation will do just that.
Making any politically motivated attack a HATE CRIME.
Wearing a MAGA hat should never endanger your life.
— Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepVernonJones/status/1270434796121010177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
According to <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/democrat-who-endorsed-trump-wants-party-affiliation-added-proposed-hate-crimes-law/7StaAsDYjh0MHwNa7RobAO/">The Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a>, Jones’ provision would add between 3 and 12 months for misdemeanor convictions, plus an additional fine up to $5,000, or a minimum of two years of additional prison for a felony conviction. Georgia does not currently have a hate crime law on the books. 
“Americans are being attacked nationwide because of their party affiliation and political ideology. I have personally been subjected to hate speech and threats because of my support for President Trump’s reelection,” said Jones. “While we are discussing hate-crimes legislation in Georgia, this could address another form of hate crime that people are experiencing.”
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/action-will-be-taken-georgia-democrats-vow-revenge-on-lawmaker-who-endorsed-trump">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Jones received condemnation from Democratic officials in Georgia over his endorsement of the president, which did not accompany a party-switch but still prompted accusations he wasn’t really a Democrat. 
“Everybody already knew Vernon Jones wasn’t a Democrat. We knew when he hurled an anti-trans rant at Councilwoman Koontz,” said Rep Josh McLaurin, adding “he never stood for our values and it’s time for him to go.”
“Vernon Jones is an embarrassment to the Democratic Party and doesn&#8217;t stand for our values,” said state Senator Nikema Williams, chair of the Georgia Democratic Party. “He made that clear today by choosing to stand with a racist president who has made an all-out assault on Black Americans and has tried to rip away our health care.”
Although Jones initially said he would resign due to the vitriol he had received over the endorsement, the state representative <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-backing-democrat-changes-course-after-announcing-resignation-democrats-wont-bully-me-into-submission">later revealed</a> his plans to complete his term. 
“I thought about it, and I talked to my family, and I talked to my supporters, because what you did for me, I’m gonna remain on the battlefield,” said Jones. “I’m going to complete my term, I’m gonna continue to put my country before my party, and I’m gonna do everything I can to help Donald J. Trump get elected because he’s the man for this job, he’s the man for this office.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

&#8220;Make America Great Again&#8221; red baseball caps, signature

‘Wearing A MAGA Hat Should Never Endanger Your Life’: Georgia Dem Backs Hate-Crime Law For Political Affiliation

Hate Crime

Politics

Vernon Jones

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, an early Biden supporter who recently gained widespread attention for admonishing rioters in her city, is now reportedly undergoing the Biden campaign’s vice presidential candidate vetting process. 
According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/08/biden-veep-search-304854">Politico</a>, “two sources with knowledge of the discussions” confirmed that Bottoms is now in the running for 2020 ticket. The move coincides with the campaign’s purported “evolution” on the need to select a black running mate, “a source familiar with the internal discussions” told the news agency. 
Bottoms endorsed Biden for president nearly a year ago, the day after Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) attacked the former vice president on the debate stage for his opposition to forced bussing in the 1970s and his past experience working alongside segregationists in the Senate, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/biden-nabs-2020-endorsement-atlanta-mayor-bottoms-64012750">ABC News</a>. 
&#8220;For me, it was most important that we have a president who doesn&#8217;t have to walk in the door and figure out where the light switch is, that we have somebody who can lead on Day One,&#8221; said Bottoms, who attended the Democratic primary’s first debate as a guest of former Second Lady Jill Biden. 
In an interview with Politico, the first-term Atlanta mayor declined to answer questions about her prospects as Biden’s running mate, saying that her “complete focus has been on the streets the last few days.” Before she was elected as mayor, Bottoms served on the city council for two terms, and was a part-time <a href="https://www.atlantamagazine.com/great-reads/keishas-no-kasim-inside-bottomss-very-different-city-hall/">magistrate judge</a> for six years in the mid-2000s. 
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/go-home-atlanta-mayor-gives-fiery-speech-admonishing-disgraceful-rioters">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Bottoms gained national attention when she admonished rioters for destroying property and looting the city, and demanding that rioters immediately “go home.”
“We are all angry. This hurts. This hurts everybody in this room. But what are you changing by tearing up a city? You’ve lost all credibility now. This is not how we change America. This is not how we change the world,” said Bottoms. 
“You are disgracing our city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country,” she said. “We are better than this. We are better than this as a city. We are better than this as a country. Go home! Go home!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Atlanta Mayor Bottoms condemns rioters in fiery speech: &#8220;You are disgracing our city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/QPCVkG0JIO">pic.twitter.com/QPCVkG0JIO</a>
— BNO News (@BNONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1266547800092876802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
After President Donald Trump made <a href="https://factcheck.thedispatch.com/p/did-trump-say-he-hoped-george-floyd">remarks</a> from the Rose Garden about ensuring equality under the law  — observing that “hopefully George is looking down and saying this is a great thing that’s happening for our country, it’s a great day for him, it’s a great day for everybody, this is a great day for everybody, this is a great, great day in terms of equality — Bottoms told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/06/07/donald-trump-george-floyd-comments-keisha-lance-bottoms-sot-ip-vpx.cnn">CNN</a> that she was “disgusted” with the president’s comments. 
“This is a man who has been murdered on our streets, President Trump didn&#8217;t know him, and in fact, by all accounts from George Floyd’s brother, when President Trump called to offer condolences, he didn’t even give the family an opportunity to speak,” she said. “I think if the president was going to say anything, it may have been more appropriate to talk about his family, and perhaps about him looking down on his children, and perhaps him being proud of the movement that is happening in this country.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

2019 BronzeLens Women Superstars Luncheon

Report: Biden Campaign Vetting Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor Who Admonished Rioters, For VP

Joe Biden

Oh Thursday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/college-football-hall-of-fame-in-atlanta-vandalized-looted-organization-responds">Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms</a> delivered a fiery speech ripping  into violent rioters in her city, admonishing them for disgracing the memory of George Floyd and making it clear they need to &#8220;go home&#8221; immediately. 
“It’s enough,” Mayor Bottoms said during a Friday press conference. “We are all angry. This hurts. This hurts everybody in this room. But what are you changing by tearing up a city? You’ve lost all credibility now. This is not how we change America. This is not how we change the world.”
Protests started to pop-up across the nation on Tuesday over the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a police officer had his knee on the 46-year-old’s neck during an arrest, according to a viral video.
However, things quickly turned ugly; arson, looting, and violence spiked in places like Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and, by Friday night, Atlanta.
“You are disgracing our city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country,” Bottoms continued, visibly angry. “We are better than this. We are better than this as a city. We are better than this as a country. Go home! Go home!&#8221;
The mayor emphasized that the &#8220;protesters&#8221; were not &#8220;protesting&#8221; at all, but violently destroying often minority-owned and low-income businesses and entities. In other words, destroying the lives of people they are claiming to support.
&#8220;At the request of Mayor [Keisha Bottoms] &amp; in consultation with public safety &amp; emergency preparedness officials, I have issued a State of Emergency for Fulton County to activate as many as 500 [Georgia Guard] troops to protect people &amp; property in Atlanta,&#8221; Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, posted to Twitter on Friday night. 
&#8220;They will deploy immediately to assist [Georgia DPS], [LE Division &#8211; GA DNR], [Georgia Corrections] &amp; local law enforcement who are working tirelessly to subdue unlawful activity &amp; restore peace,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We will continue to make all state resources available to local leaders during this emergency situation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
They will deploy immediately to assist <a href="https://twitter.com/ga_dps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ga_dps</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GaDNRLE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GaDNRLE</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GA_Corrections?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GA_Corrections</a> &amp; local law enforcement who are working tirelessly to subdue unlawful activity &amp; restore peace. We will continue to make all state resources available to local leaders during this emergency situation. (2/2)
&mdash; Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovKemp/status/1266582531308048385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Earlier this week, a video of Floyd’s arrest went viral, sparking outrage.
“An eight-minute clip filmed by a person on the street shows Floyd telling police he can’t breathe and begging the cop on top of him to stop before he falls unconscious,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-riot-police-in-minneapolis-fire-rubber-bullets-tear-gas-at-protesters-demanding-charges-against-cops-involved-in-death-of-black-man">The Daily Wire</a> reported Tuesday. “Officer Derek Chauvin was identified as the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck outside Cup Foods on Chicago Avenue and East 38th Street.”
Since the incident, all four officers involved in the arrest have been fired, investigations from the FBI and state law enforcement have been opened, President Donald Trump has condemned the incident, and, on Friday, the officer at the center of the arrest was taken into custody.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Atlanta Mayor Bottoms condemns rioters in fiery speech: &quot;You are disgracing our city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd&quot; <a href="https://t.co/QPCVkG0JIO">pic.twitter.com/QPCVkG0JIO</a>
&mdash; BNO News (@BNONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1266547800092876802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-mn-city-council-vp-anger-justified-but-you-have-no-right-to-violence-harm-on-very-communities-you-claim-to-stand-up-fo">WATCH: MN City Council VP: ‘Anger’ Justified, But ‘You Have No Right’ To ‘Violence, Harm’ On ‘Very Communities’ You Claim To Stand Up For</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Keisha Lance Bottoms

‘GO HOME!’: Atlanta Mayor Gives Fiery Speech Admonishing ‘Disgraceful’ Rioters

George Floyd

Riots

The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta was vandalized and looted on Friday evening amidst a wave of demonstrations and rioting that have taken hold across the United States following the death of George Floyd earlier this week. 
The situation devolved over the course of the evening, with NBC News correspondent Blayne Alexander reporting multiple car fires and <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/demonstrators-damage-college-football-hall-of-fame-in-atlanta">Fox News Atlanta</a> reporting that people were breaking into the hall of fame downtown and taking off with “various items.”
Later in the evening, Alexander posted a video of the hall of fame, where broken glass and empty coat hangers line the sidewalk. The building appears to have been vandalized from the inside, and an alarm can be heard in the background. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A very tough night for downtown Atlanta. This is the College Football Hall of Fame. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlantaProtest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtlantaProtest</a> <a href="https://t.co/K7vt95n8lV">pic.twitter.com/K7vt95n8lV</a>
— Blayne Alexander (@ReporterBlayne) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReporterBlayne/status/1266561823958020096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
Atlanta police confirmed to Fox News that protesters had started looting and damaging local businesses, and at one point, someone fired unspecified shots toward an officer in a patrol vehicle. The news agency did not report any injuries from that specific incident. 
The College Football Hall of Fame released a statement after the building was looted and expressed support for the family of George Floyd and condemned the “chaos and disorder” that had erupted, reported <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/college-football-hall-of-fame-vandalized/85-efd3d32c-d189-4079-85e8-eae020c7ec7a">11Alive</a>. 
“We support the peaceful protests that honor his memory but unfortunately, they deteriorated into chaos and disorder. We are heartbroken to see the damage to our city and the Hall of Fame,” said the College Football Hall of Fame in a statement. 
“As our Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said… We are better than this, better than this as a city, and better than this as a country. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll work to pick up the pieces, to build back the sacred walls that housed memories and honored those who played the game many of whom fought these same injustices throughout their storied careers,” said the statement. 
The College Football Hall of Fame’s invocation toward the end of the statement was a reference to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ press conference on Friday evening condemning the destruction in the city. 
“When I saw the murder of George Floyd, I hurt like a mother would hurt. And yesterday, when I heard there were rumors about violent protests in Atlanta, I did what a mother would do, I called my son and I said ‘Where are you?’ I said, ‘I cannot protect you and black boys shouldn’t be out today’,” said Bottoms, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karmas-a-mother-rapper-killer-mike-unloads-on-cnn-for-feeding-fear-and-anger-every-day">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. “So you not going to out concern me and out care about where we are in America.”
“So what I see happening in the streets of Atlanta is not Atlanta. This is not a protest. This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos. A protest has purpose,” said Bottoms. 
“If you want change America, go and register to vote. Show up at the polls on June 9. Do it in November. That is the change we need in this country. You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country,” Bottoms concluded. “We are better than this. We are better than this as a city. We are better than this as a country. Go home.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Atlanta Protest Held In Response To Police Custody Death Of Minneapolis Man George Floyd

College Football Hall Of Fame In Atlanta Vandalized, Looted. Organization Responds.

In the wake of President Trump threatening to move the economy-boosting GOP convention from the state of North Carolina if the governor cannot guarantee all invitees will be allowed to attend the event, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia has offered to host the convention in his state.
“With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention,” Kemp tweeted on Tuesday. “We hope you will consider the Peach State, @realdonaldtrump!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention. We hope you will consider the Peach State, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realdonaldtrump</a>!
&mdash; Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovKemp/status/1265278545628221440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Monday, President Trump issued a barrage of tweets ripping North Carolina&#8217;s Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper for not guaranteeing that the GOP would be able to operate at full capacity when the convention opens in late August.
“I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August,” Trump tweeted. “Unfortunately, Democrat Governor [Roy Cooper] is still in Shutdown mood [and] unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena.”
The president said that this uncertainty creates a problem by essentially forcing the GOP to spend millions of dollars preparing for an event without a guarantee it will actually go according to plan.
“In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space,” Trump said. “Plans are being made by many thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August.”
“They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied,” he continued. “If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site.”
“This is not something I want to do,” he concluded. “Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North Carolina!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;full attendance in the Arena. In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space. Plans are being&#8230;.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1264891998017859584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do. Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North Carolina!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1264892000052088832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Though Gov. Cooper has not personally responded to the president&#8217;s tweet, The Charlotte Observer<a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article242978726.html"> urged the governor</a> to call President Trump&#8217;s bluff and not allow the RNC to move forward with the convention, arguing that it&#8217;s better to be safe than sorry.
&#8220;If the president wants a guarantee right now, Cooper should call his bluff with the only answer he can provide right now: No,&#8221; asserted the publication.
&#8220;The alternative – giving an unqualified nod to the convention – is untenable,&#8221; it continued. &#8220;No one, including Trump and Cooper, knows what COVID-19 will look like late this summer. It’s possible North Carolina could see the kind of coronavirus progress that allows for a large-scale indoor event to be safely held here. It’s just as possible that loosening restrictions in May and June could result in a spike of infections in July and August, and that the convention will be unsafe for Charlotte and its global guests.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.  
&nbsp;

American flag at World Trade Center Site, Lower Manhattan, at night. New York City, USA

Georgia Governor Offers To Host GOP Convention As North Carolina Remains Closed

Brian Kemp

North Carolina

Republican National Committee (RNC)

The FBI has arrested a Georgia man and charged him with defrauding an Atlanta-based company where he worked by allegedly lying about having COVID-19, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said in a press release Thursday.
Santwon Antonio Davis, 34, allegedly faked a a note from his doctor saying he had the coronavirus, which prompting his employer, a Fortune 500 company that the FBI didn&#8217;t identify, to shut down in order to sanitize the site.
Davis has since admitted that he never had COVID-19, the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office said in the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/atlanta-man-charged-misrepresenting-his-employer-he-had-tested-positive-covid-19">release.</a>
“The defendant caused unnecessary economic loss to his employer and distress to his coworkers and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak.  “We will take quick action through the Georgia COVID-19 Task Force to put a stop to criminals preying on Georgia companies and the public with Coronavirus-related fraud schemes.”
“Scammers continue to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic through a variety of means,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We receive numerous complaints every day and this case is a reminder that we remain vigilant in detecting, investigating and prosecuting any wrongdoing related to the crisis.”
The statement said the company lost around $100,000 by closing the business and still paying all of its employees at the workplace. The false claim also caused several of Davis’ coworkers also unnecessarily quarantined themselves, the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office said.
<blockquote>Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell Phillips and Sarah Klapman are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Georgia’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fraud Task Force, aimed at better protecting the citizens of Georgia from criminal fraud arising from the pandemic. Formed by Georgia’s leading state and federal prosecutors, the task force serves to open channels of communication between partner agencies and more rapidly share information about COVID-19 fraud, while ensuring each fraud complaint is reported to the appropriate prosecuting agency. The task force member agencies include the Office of the Governor of Georgia, the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Georgia’s three U.S. Attorneys, the Attorney General of Georgia, and the Executive Counsel for the Governor’s Office serve on the task force.</blockquote>
Davis has previously served 18 months in three different prison sentences since 2006, for theft, criminal damage to property and trespassing, the <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/fbi-man-faked-covid-diagnosis-forcing-boss-close-atlanta-business-for-cleaning/VzbZQpiAL5vHkGJj3mQijK/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a> reported.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

A top view of doctor&#8217;s hands

FBI Arrests Man For Allegedly Lying In ‘Fake’ Doctor’s Note About Having COVID-19

Coronavirus

Weeks ago, liberal Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was publicly criticizing Republican Governor of Georgia Brian Kemp for loosening lockdown restrictions, and, according to local media, actively looking for <a href="https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/atlanta-mayor-says-legal-team-is-looking-into-kemps-decision-reopen-ga-businesses/A4MTS276JVCGJA2JPOWO4K5TGA/">legal avenues</a> to buck his order. In fact, at the time, Bottoms promised she&#8217;d tell the governor she was &#8220;wrong&#8221; if there wasn&#8217;t the huge spike in hospitalizations and deaths that she feared and most certainly anticipated would transpire in the days and weeks following the state&#8217;s reopening.
Bottoms&#8217; predicted apocalypse never materialized, of course. But neither has her admission to the governor that she was wrong.
During an appearance on MSNBC this week, the mayor admitted the reopening wasn&#8217;t &#8220;as bad&#8221; as she thought it would be, but refused to go as far as to admit she was &#8220;wrong.&#8221; She was given ample cover from left-wing anchor Brian Williams, of course.
&#8220;I think I remember you saying [before the reopening] that you hoped to be wrong, that you hoped the situation would be better than you feared, and that if you were in fact wrong, you would say to the governor, &#8216;I was wrong,'&#8221; Williams said to Bottoms.
&#8220;Is it a little muddier than being able to say, &#8216;I was right&#8217; or “I was wrong&#8217;?&#8221; the liberal anchor generously <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/atlanta-mayor-georgia-reopening-not-as-bad-as-feared-despite-coronavirus">told</a> the liberal mayor. &#8220;Are we as of the time of this conversation somewhere in the middle, do you think?&#8221;
“Well, what I can say, Brian, is it’s not as bad as I thought that it would be,&#8221; Bottoms admitted.
“So, I am pleased about that, but I still think it’s too soon to say,” she said. “The reason being, whereas initially, we were seeing increases between deaths and people testing positive, rising anywhere from 25 to 30 percent over a seven-day period. Right now, we’re somewhere between 12 and 15 percent. And it’s better than it was, but it’s still not great. We’ve still not seen that 14-day decline, as recommended by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).”
Despite apocalyptic media predictions accusing Gov. Kemp of facilitating &#8220;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/why-georgia-reopening-coronavirus-pandemic/610882/">human sacrifice</a>,&#8221; Georgia&#8217;s hospitalizations rates have hit new lows weeks after the state&#8217;s reopening. With increased testing, the number of positive cases in Georgia have naturally increased, but their rate of increase has not.
Last weekend, Bottoms made headlines when she blamed the White House for the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.
“It’s 2020 and this was a lynching of an African-American man,” the mayor said on CNN airwaves, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/atlanta-mayor-calls-ahmaud-arbery-killing-a-lynching-says-trumps-rhetoric-gives-racists-permission">Fox News</a> reported. “My heart goes out to the family. With the rhetoric we hear coming out of the White House, many who are prone to being racist are given permission to do it in an overt way we wouldn’t see in 2020.”
WATCH (relevant comments begin at the 3:30 mark):
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;My big concern is as it gets warmer &amp; warmer in Georgia&#8230;we will see fewer people with masks on. This is going to be the time that we really give a good look at our numbers &amp; what impact our aggressive reopening has on our positive cases in the state.&quot; &#8211; Mayor <a href="https://twitter.com/KeishaBottoms?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KeishaBottoms</a> <a href="https://t.co/c9Unu9PG74">pic.twitter.com/c9Unu9PG74</a>
&mdash; City of Atlanta, GA (@CityofAtlanta) <a href="https://twitter.com/CityofAtlanta/status/1262489753448075266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/atlanta-mayor-blames-trump-for-ahmaud-arbery-killing-he-gives-racists-permission">Atlanta Mayor Blames Trump For Ahmaud Arbery Killing: He Gives ‘Racists Permission’</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

WATCH: Atlanta Mayor Admits She Was Off About Georgia Re-Opening, But Won’t Say She Was ‘Wrong’ To Republican Governor As She Promised

The Georgia Department of Public Health was forced to backtrack on Monday after a &#8220;data coding error&#8221; led to an accidental uptick in the state&#8217;s number of confirmed coronavirus cases, and a subsequent correction caused charts on the department&#8217;s website to show a steep, nearly overnight decline.
Experts are watching Georgia&#8217;s coronavirus numbers closely. As the first state to &#8220;open up&#8221; almost completely, releasing nearly all restrictions put in place to control the spread of coronavirus, Georgia&#8217;s continued infection count is key to understanding whether lifting lockdown measures in other states could lead to a second COVID-19 &#8220;peak.&#8221;
Over the weekend, Georgia&#8217;s numbers appeared to take a steep dive, forcing critics to call the Georgia Department of Health&#8217;s accounting methods into question. On Monday, the department admitted that the decline happened after they corrected a &#8220;math error&#8221; that led to a previous increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The department explained the strange jump in a Tweet.
&#8220;Yesterday, a processing error inadvertently included 231 serologic test results among the positive <a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash" rel="tag" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag">#COVID19</a> cases. The error was corrected, but it caused a decrease in positive cases between reporting periods on our dashboard. We apologize for the error and the confusion,&#8221; they said.
The term &#8220;serologic test results&#8221; refers to antibody tests showing at least 231 Georgians tested positive for having antibodies for the novel coronavirus. Those were accidentally added into the state&#8217;s virus count and then, subsequently, subtracted.
This is the second time in two weeks the Georgia Department of Public Health has issued incorrect coronavirus numbers.
&#8220;The apology came after the controversy last week over a bar chart posted on the state health department website that appeared to show new confirmed cases in the counties with the most infections had dropped every single day for the past two weeks,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/georgia-health-department-apologize-coronavirus-data-gaffe-processing-error">Fox News reports</a>. &#8220;In actuality, there had been no clear downward trend. The bar chart titled &#8216;Top 5 Counties with the Greatest Number of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases&#8217; was first posted to the department&#8217;s website on May 10.&#8221;
That bar chart seemed to show steep declines among confirmed coronavirus infections in some of the hardest-hit counties in the state. The chart was not organized by date, and some counties were misplaced, making the chart unreadable &#8212; and, unfortunately, useless.
The two big mistakes have led to claims that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who ran afoul even of President Donald Trump when he began releasing his state&#8217;s lockdown measures, is deliberately hiding Georgia&#8217;s infection numbers to mask problematic results.
The governor&#8217;s office, however, says that cases have remained steady at around 38,000 statewide and that Kemp has no control over how Georgia&#8217;s Department of Public Health chooses data to include in graphs it releases to the public.
Georgia&#8217;s public health department says they&#8217;re &#8220;working diligently to provide the most accurate information, and we apologize for any confusion.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Georgia Backtracks: ‘Math Error’ Showed Steep Coronavirus Decline, Cases Actually Remain Steady

Gregory McMichael, the retired investigator who has been charged along with his son in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, reportedly asked a local attorney to leak the video that sparked public outrage and revived the case, ultimately leading to the arrest of McMichael and his son.
&#8220;In a stunning twist to a story that drew worldwide attention, Channel 2 Action News has confirmed that the man who leaked the viral video of the shooting of an unarmed black jogger in south Georgia is one of the murder suspects,&#8221; Atlanta&#8217;s <a href="https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/exclusive-man-charged-ahmaud-arbery-murder-leaked-original-video-shooting/KCWVSD4IP5FPRO24I47ZBMPPNE/">WSB-TV</a> reported Friday.
&#8220;Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne has confirmed that Greg McMichael leaked the video to a radio station, starting the avalanche of attention that landed him in jail on murder charges with his son,&#8221; the outlet reported. &#8220;Brunswick attorney Alan Tucker says Greg McMichael wanted to clear up some rumors circulating in the community and he had no idea the video would spark global outrage.&#8221;
According to Tucker, McMichael brought the video – filmed from another vehicle behind the McMichaels&#8217; – as well as other videos to his office in Brunswick and asked as a friend, not as a client, for help downloading the video so it could be delivered to a Brunswick radio station talk show host.
&#8220;[Greg] wanted the public to know the truth,&#8221; said Tucker, as reported by <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-shooting-death-ahmaud-arbery-helped-release-video-incident-attorney-n1208746">NBC News</a> Saturday. &#8220;That he and his son were not white supremacists driving in a pick-up truck with a confederate flag in the back who shot a black man in the back because he was jogging in a white neighborhood. He hoped the public would see them trying to make a citizen’s arrest on a young man that was running from a home under construction – that he had been seen in at night on several occasions while he plundered around on the owner’s security camera.&#8221;
Tucker agreed to release the video, saying he likewise hoped it would prevent racial tensions in the community from escalating. &#8220;I didn’t want the neighborhood to become a Ferguson,&#8221; Tucker said, referencing the massive social unrest that followed the officer-involved shooting of African American Michael Brown.
As <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/05/15/gregory-mcmichael-leaked-the-ahmaud-arbery-video-report/">The New York Post</a> puts it, &#8220;the ease-tensions strategy backfired monumentally.&#8221; The video quickly went viral and sparked outrage – not just in the community but nationally.
Ultimately, McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault in the shooting of Ahmaud, 25. They are both currently in jail with plans to request release on bond.
One of Greg McMichael&#8217;s attorneys, Frank Hogue, publicly addressed the case in a press conference at the end of the week. &#8220;The truth will reveal that this is not just another act of violent racism,&#8221; said Hogue. &#8220;Greg McMichael did not commit murder.&#8221;
Meanwhile, an attorney for Larry English, the owner of the construction site where surveillance footage shows Arbery moments before the shooting, has presented a text message to English from a Glynn County police officer in December 2019 in which the officer directs English to call Greg McMichael &#8220;day or night&#8221; if he sees anyone trespassing on his surveillance cameras.
“Your neighbor at [redacted address] is Greg McMichael,&#8221; the text reads. &#8220;Greg is retired Law Enforcement and also a Retired Investigator from the DA’s office. He said please call him day or night when you get action on your camera. His number is [redacted number].”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ahmaud-arbery-case-text-messages-reveal-cop-encouraged-neighbor-to-call-gregory-mcmichael-in-case-of-trespassers">Ahmaud Arbery Case: Text Messages Reveal Cop Encouraged Neighbor To Call Gregory McMichael In Case Of Trespassers</a>
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Georgia

Tucker Carlson: Stepmother Of Police Officer Charged In Rayshard Brooks Shooting Fired From Her Job. Company Releases Statement.

WATCH: Chick-Fil-A CEO Appears To Justify Rioters Burning Down Wendy’s, Urges White People To Repent Of Racism

WATCH: Black Georgia Sheriff Tells CNN: Shooting Of Rayshard Brooks Was ‘Completely Justified’

DA Says Brooks Wasn’t ‘Threat’ Toward Cop He Shot Taser At, Said Two Weeks Ago Taser Is ‘Considered’ A ‘Deadly Weapon’

Atlanta Police Seeing ‘Higher Than Usual Number Of Call Outs,’ Comes After D.A. Charged Police Officer With Murder Of Rayshard Brooks

Former Atlanta Officer Charged With Felony Murder In Shooting Of Rayshard Brooks

WATCH: Police Body Cam Footage Challenges Narrative On Death Of Rayshard Brooks

Rioters Burn Down Wendy’s In Atlanta Where Rayshard Brooks Was Killed

Atlanta Police Chief Resigns After Police Fatally Shoot Man Outside Drive-Thru

Report: Atlanta Man Fatally Shot By Police After Struggle Outside Drive-Thru

Georgia’s New Voting System Struggles With Bumpy Rollout

‘Wearing A MAGA Hat Should Never Endanger Your Life’: Georgia Dem Backs Hate-Crime Law For Political Affiliation

Report: Biden Campaign Vetting Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor Who Admonished Rioters, For VP

‘GO HOME!’: Atlanta Mayor Gives Fiery Speech Admonishing ‘Disgraceful’ Rioters

College Football Hall Of Fame In Atlanta Vandalized, Looted. Organization Responds.

Georgia Governor Offers To Host GOP Convention As North Carolina Remains Closed

FBI Arrests Man For Allegedly Lying In ‘Fake’ Doctor’s Note About Having COVID-19

WATCH: Atlanta Mayor Admits She Was Off About Georgia Re-Opening, But Won’t Say She Was ‘Wrong’ To Republican Governor As She Promised

Georgia Backtracks: ‘Math Error’ Showed Steep Coronavirus Decline, Cases Actually Remain Steady

‘Stunning Twist’: Man Charged In Ahmaud Arbery Shooting Leaked The Viral Video, ‘Wanted The Public To Know The Truth’

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Georgia

Tucker Carlson: Stepmother Of Police Officer Charged In Rayshard Brooks Shooting Fired From Her Job. Company Releases Statement.

WATCH: Chick-Fil-A CEO Appears To Justify Rioters Burning Down Wendy’s, Urges White People To Repent Of Racism

WATCH: Black Georgia Sheriff Tells CNN: Shooting Of Rayshard Brooks Was ‘Completely Justified’

DA Says Brooks Wasn’t ‘Threat’ Toward Cop He Shot Taser At, Said Two Weeks Ago Taser Is ‘Considered’ A ‘Deadly Weapon’

Atlanta Police Seeing ‘Higher Than Usual Number Of Call Outs,’ Comes After D.A. Charged Police Officer With Murder Of Rayshard Brooks

Former Atlanta Officer Charged With Felony Murder In Shooting Of Rayshard Brooks

WATCH: Police Body Cam Footage Challenges Narrative On Death Of Rayshard Brooks

Rioters Burn Down Wendy’s In Atlanta Where Rayshard Brooks Was Killed

Atlanta Police Chief Resigns After Police Fatally Shoot Man Outside Drive-Thru

Report: Atlanta Man Fatally Shot By Police After Struggle Outside Drive-Thru

Georgia’s New Voting System Struggles With Bumpy Rollout

‘Wearing A MAGA Hat Should Never Endanger Your Life’: Georgia Dem Backs Hate-Crime Law For Political Affiliation

Report: Biden Campaign Vetting Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor Who Admonished Rioters, For VP

‘GO HOME!’: Atlanta Mayor Gives Fiery Speech Admonishing ‘Disgraceful’ Rioters

College Football Hall Of Fame In Atlanta Vandalized, Looted. Organization Responds.

Georgia Governor Offers To Host GOP Convention As North Carolina Remains Closed

FBI Arrests Man For Allegedly Lying In ‘Fake’ Doctor’s Note About Having COVID-19

WATCH: Atlanta Mayor Admits She Was Off About Georgia Re-Opening, But Won’t Say She Was ‘Wrong’ To Republican Governor As She Promised

Georgia Backtracks: ‘Math Error’ Showed Steep Coronavirus Decline, Cases Actually Remain Steady

‘Stunning Twist’: Man Charged In Ahmaud Arbery Shooting Leaked The Viral Video, ‘Wanted The Public To Know The Truth’

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